Set in 2060, Aphelion follows European Space Agency astronauts Ariane Montclair and Thomas Cross on a mission to survey Persephone, a newly discovered, frozen world at the edge of the solar system. A crash landing separates the pair, leaving Ariane to cross the planet's hostile, ice-bound terrain alone to reach her injured partner while the two uncover unexplained phenomena on Persephone's surface.
Players control Ariane through a blend of exploration, parkour-style traversal, and tense stealth, using tools including a grappling hook, oxygen tank, and pathfinding equipment to navigate the frozen landscape and evade an unknown threat. Thomas, meanwhile, contributes through investigation and problem-solving from his injured position, with both characters' skills needed to survive and complete the ESA mission.
The Pioneer Edition is a PS5 pre-order edition developed by DON'T NOD in collaboration with the European Space Agency. It includes the full game alongside two spacesuit cosmetic variants, six backpack accessory cosmetics, a digital artbook, the original soundtrack, and an exclusive Hope-01 mission patch sticker created with the ESA.
